Tag Archives: nottingham

Hello all! The post I’ve written today, which you may think is not specifically linked to design in sense of a piece of furniture or design scheme, but what it does have in common with the art and design world is an idea and concept are the just or even more substantial than the product itself. Enjoy!

Within certain areas of our society; work, fashion and family life, women are expected to act, look and meet certain “standards” to fit the ideological female brief. This constant self examination can breed huge competition between women and create division.

Understanding the pressures modern women face, Rastarella Falade from Nottingham (shown below, third on right) has made it her mission to break these boundaries and unite women all over the city by holding various events from open-mic nights to belly dancing, encouraging women to get together and make friends.

Rastarella teamed up with friend Iona Tamberrino to hold a fashion exchange tea party at the Vine Community Centre in Nottingham at the weekend. The initial idea started off as a small get together but as the word spread vigorously across Facebook, the exchange ended up being a pretty large event housing racks and tables full of clothes, shoes, hats and everything in between.

Today for many students will be one of the most nerve racking times of their life. I went through the experience myself, driving the six miles to college to pick up my results felt like the earth had stood still for ten years. Butterflies were fighting in my stomach and my mind was racing, just hoping I’d managed to secure a place at my first choice university.

Clearing was a thought a little to scary to ponder on! The worst part was seeing students from across the country live on television, opening their white envelopes and screeching the letters “ABB!”

The pressure young people are under to excel and perform within our education system is choking, especially with the prospect of our future generation leaving with an average of £50,000 debt strapped around their neck! It’s shocking to learn that over a quarter of a million students will be without a place this academic year and universities on average only offering 80 places through clearing. But there is hope…

The removal of government funding has had a positive effect in exposing alternative routes to higher education to students, which have been available for many years and arguably offer higher levels of support to students compared with traditional universities.

One of which is the National Design Academy in Nottingham, who’ve been providing Diploma to Degree level Interior Design courses through distance learning, for over twenty-two years! They’re also the first and only UK educational provider to offer BA (Hons) in Retail, Heritage and Outdoor Living Design. It’s also the last chance to secure a place with the NDA before all funding disappears.

So if you’ve had your heights set on studying interior design at university and haven’t quite got the grades, this could be the perfect, less costly and equally recognisable way to gaining that qualification you want. All you need is one A-Level in art to be able to enrol on the Degree program which consists of a Foundation Degree course (equivalent to years 1&2 of a university degree) and then the BA Hons level (equivalent to year 3).

There’s no need to panic, you will reach your goal! All the Degree courses provided by NDA are fully accredited by Staffordshire University, internationally recognised and delivered online. Not to mention that they have a team of highly skilled tutors available five days a week from 9-5 to give you advice over the phone or through email.

Studying with the National Design Academy gives students the opportunity work at a pace that suits them and also offers those wanting to gain valuable work experience the opportunity to do so. It’s widely understood that industry experience is highly regarded by employers as very important.

To find our more about how you can still achieve a Degree in Interior Design contact the NDA on 0115 91234 12 to speak to a member of the team or visit their website www.nda.ac.uk.

It’s finally been announced! The winner of the prestigious NDA National Design Award is Grace Moulder from Darlington. The recent graduate beat off hundreds of entrants from colleges and universities from all over the country to bag the HUGE prize of £3000 cash, see her design implemented and a professional portfolio of photographs of the finished design.

The national competition was exclusive to architecture/design students, keen amateurs and recent graduates, who had the task of designing a £1 million penthouse situated in the luxury River Crescent complex, Nottingham.

“Knowing this was a national competition I realised the standards must have been very high, so I am so proud of all that I have achieved and that my hard work has paid off! I look forward to coming to work with the design team and hope that my genuine enthusiasm and passion for Interior design will shine through. I will treasure all the experience I gain and I am hopeful that it will give me the confidence to succeed in the design world! Thanks again to the NDA and all that was involved in giving me such a fantastic opportunity.”

As well as Grace, there where 5 shortlisted designers who will also receive a years membership to BIID, a workshop of their choice, an NDA National Design Award trophy and an invite to the unveiling ceremony.

Owner of the penthouse, Ian Roberts, found it extremely difficult to choose between the 6 shortlisted designs, he said “I would like to thank everyone who took the time and effort to submit designs, the response was overwhelming. I would also like to thank the NDA for organising the competition and my fellow judges whose guidance I could not have done without. The quality, innovation and creativity of the short listed entries exceeded my expectations and selecting a single winner was very difficult. I congratulate Grace and really look forward to working with her and the NDA to deliver what will be a world class interior to a breathtaking apartment.”

A huge well done to the 5 lucky shortlists!

Nicola Dejewski from Nottinghamshire said “Thank you to all the judges, I am really excited to be named as a shortlisted designer. This is the first design competition I have entered and I’m very proud of the outcome. I really enjoyed working on the project and am over the moon that my hard work has been acknowledged by the National Design Academy. I am now looking forward to completing my final year at Nottingham Trent University and a successful career in the design industry.”

Julian Potts from Bath and currently studies at KLC School of Design said, “Thank you very much for running this competition– I really enjoyed researching the scheme and coming up with a concept as well as trying to do something interesting with the living area and all within the constraints of a budget … it’s scary how easy it is to use up the £100,000. It was very motivating to know that the winner gets their scheme built, and I would like to congratulate Grace on getting that fantastic opportunity! I am also really pleased to have been short listed. I just need to find someone else who needs a penthouse fitting out now!”

Erika Davies from Southampton Solent University said, “Taking part in the National Design Award 2011 has been an invaluable experience, and a great opportunity to apply my passion for interior design to a real-world brief. To have been short-listed is fantastic and will provide a great stepping stone into becoming a freelance designer, as well as a great addition to my portfolio.”

Katherine Charles who lives in London and studies at Middlesex University said, “Thank you very much for considering my design and congratulations to the winner! I look forward to meeting you all at the VIP evening.”

Karen Lane from the National Design Academy and lives in Lincoln said, “the Penthouse Apartment was a fabulous plan to work on and I was absolutely thrilled to be told that my design had been placed in the top five. This is the first ‘national’ Interior Design competition I have entered and to get this far is very encouraging for the future of my business.”

The judges were impressed with the high standard of work submitted and indicated that the process of short listing had been a very enjoyable and challenging experience. Following lively debate and discussion, the extensive judging panel reached agreement on the winning design. The decision was based on clear criteria, particularly the commercially realistic interpretation of the client brief.

Congratulations to all and I look forward to seeing you at the unveiling!

As August is literally on our doorstep and the British summer practically slipping through our mitts, it can all get a bit doom and gloom. But for us design enthusiasts, there’s something great to look forward to! Look over the hill and into next Monday you’ll find three new interior design courses, Retail, Heritage and Outdoor Living, the first of their kind in the UK. The National Design Academy in Nottingham will launch these sparkling new courses next week that will give students the chance to study a specialist area of interior design.

Retail design is becoming huge business with companies wanting their shop interiors to be more cutting edge than the competition. Window displays need to be bigger, brighter and bolder than the last to attract every last fashionista!

Do you consider yourself as a “dark greeny” or a “ bright greeny?”. I can hear the screams, “what the heck is she talking about!” Well, let me put it like this, do you fit in the “must stop driving, turn all lights off and stay inside before we burn the plant to a crisp category” Or are you the “we can still travel, have fun and live a super dooper life whilst tackling our carbon footprint category”.

The reason I ask is because the popularity of sustainable living is rapidly growing, with most people now actively taking part in one way or another, in fight against harmful carbon emissions by investing in technology such as combi boilers, under floor heating and efficient lighting. We’re now taking real responsibility for our energy usage, whether you chose to be an extreme “dark greeny” or a more positive and flexible “bright greeny”.

Speaking of bright, lighting is one feature an interior designer will spend many hours working out where to place in a design scheme, taking into account colour temperature, colour rendering and the psychological effect that light has. Nowadays, technology has progressed at a super pace, which enables designers to create a desired lighting plan without the huge energy consumption, heat output and cost. Great!

But the knowledge about lighting design can’t just be learned over night, it’s a skill that needs to be developed and mastered. This is why the National Design Academy in Nottingham (including myself!), traveled to Philips’ head office in Surrey yesterday, to explore the revolutionary LED light that will be used the Academy’s design studio’s and make up a possible educational display for students to fully understand all aspects of energy lighting and the bigger picture of sustainable living today.

Previous energy lights have been criticised for being very clinical and cold, however the new age Philips LED lights throws this stereotype out the window. As the largest lighting company in the world, Philips put roughly 5% of their profits back into research and have invested in a thicker phosphor coating inside the bulbs to create a warmer light. This coating can also be adjusted to create a more orange or blue effect depending on the project. Continue reading →

Earlier this week I visited the über cool Surface Gallery in Nottingham to see the grand opening of their 2010 Surface Open Show winner’s exhibition. Texas based artist Janet Morrow has been preparing her three week solo exhibition for nearly a year after scooping the prize and is her first in the UK.

“A Community of Non-normative Beings” is a body of work examining themes of deafness, disability and otherness and what it means to occupy a non-normative body in a culture where normality is narrowly defined. Striking shimmering sculptures of polythene plastic, polyester organza, ink, rope, helium and concrete among other materials, dramatically occupy the space. Continue reading →

Nottingham based Artist and Designer Sarah Turner, is causing a storm in the interior design world with her eco-friendly lighting designs. From her studio in the heart of Nottingham, Sarah uses old plastic bottles discarded from the city’s cafes and transforms them into eclectic pieces.

So far she’s been commissioned by the likes of SodaStream, London Fashion Week, Twitter, the Ideal Home Show and recently secured a place in the final of this years Philips lighting competition.

Read her exciting interview with The Design Hub and find out how Sarah’s made such an impact within the design world and what’s in store for her next! Continue reading →

Laura Olivia, never dreamt that one day she’d be supplying her designs to manufacturers all over the world, as well as being selected by Jethro Macey for this years New Designers “One Year On” event in London.

Her colourful designs started off as watercolours, sketches and photographic images inspired by nature. Laura combines digital technology and embroidery to create bright, colourful designs, perfect to lift any mood. In an interview with The Design Hub, Laura talks about her journey from being a textile design student to now owning her own brand and how other people can go about starting their own business. Continue reading →

To give them a little boost in the right direction, I decided to print off a list of PR tips, people and trends to follow on Twitter and an article I wrote yesterday about this subject. Online paper Social Business Consulting, had timed their feature of my post perfectly Continue reading →

The response to the NDA National Design Award 2011 competition has been fantastic and people are really excited to start designing and hopefully grab that £3000 cash prize and see their design come true.

To help you with the dimensions and spatial planning of your design, here is a 3D video simulation which you can play as many times as you like.

Remember to your design to the RENTAL market, but this doesn’t mean you can’t be creative, original and eclectic as you like. Push yourself and the boat out because you never know, your design could take the biscuit!